Candia Man Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Heroin Trafficking

            CONCORD, N.H. – Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced that Mark Gagnon, 54, of Candia, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for possessing heroin with intent to distribute.

            Gagnon was convicted at a jury trial on August 2, 2017.  Testimony during the trial showed that on July 10, 2016, Gagnon and Alfredo Gonzalez traveled from Manchester, New Hampshire to Lawrence, Massachusetts to acquire approximately 500 grams of heroin from a drug trafficking organization led by Alberto Guerrero Marte.  Gagnon and Gonzalez met with Marte at a restaurant in Lawrence at approximately 10:00 p.m. on July 10, 2016.  Gagnon retrieved a shopping bag containing three cans of tomato sauce from Marte’s vehicle.  Gagnon placed the cans in his own vehicle and drove to New Hampshire.  During a traffic stop of Gagnon’s vehicle, a drug detection dog alerted officers that the vehicle contained drugs.  After obtaining a search warrant on the following day, law enforcement officers searched the vehicle and found that the three cans of tomato sauce contained over 500 grams of heroin.

            After serving his prison sentence, Gagnon will be on supervised release for a period of three years.

            Alberto Guerrero Marte is serving a 15-year prison sentence.  Gonzalez was convicted at trial on November 10, 2017.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 16, 2018.

            “This case is an example of how federal, state, and local law enforcement officers continue to work together to stop the flow of heroin and other drugs into New Hampshire,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “The investigators in this case prevented a large quantity of heroin from being sold in the Granite State.  While we support access to treatment for those who suffer from addiction, individuals like Mr. Gagnon who participate in the distribution of deadly drugs will be prosecuted aggressively.” 

         “Opioid abuse is at epidemic levels in New Hampshire and across the North East,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson.  “Fentanyl and heroin are causing overdose deaths across the Granite State, and DEA is committed to aggressively pursue and hold accountable anyone who distributes and profits from spreading this misery.  This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners.”

            This matter was investigated by the DEA; Homeland Security Investigations; the Massachusetts State Police; the Haverhill Police Department; the United States Marshals Service; the New Hampshire State Police; the Manchester Police Department; the Lawrence Police Department; the Lowell Police Department, the Methuen Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Drug Task Force.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Feith.

            This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.  

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